Numbering-head.



A. H..SNI|TH.

NUMBERING HEAD. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1913.

1,138,323. f `Patented May 4, 1915.

lmnmlllll In ven tot:

UNTTED STATES PATENT orrion.

AMOS H. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIG-NOKR TO AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

NUMBERING-I-IEAD.

Application filed August 20, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, AMos II. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at the borough of Bronx, city of New York, county of Bronx, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Numbering-Heads, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to numbering heads and more particularly to a type thereof wherein means are provided for preventing the accidental actuationof a digit wheel of one denomination by an adjoining digit wheel. Y

The main object of the invention is to provide a numbering head wherein each digit wheel is normally locked against rotation, by a mechanism under the control of an adjoining digit wheel, said locking mechanism being readily accessible so as to be conveniently assembled in the machine and to possess sufficient strength to withstand the ordinary conditions of use.

A further object is to provide numbering heads of this character wherein the locking means act adjacent to the peripheries of their respective digit wheels, and are adapted to be severally independently and progressively actuated by a digit wheel adj oining that upon which they are operative.

A still further object is to provide a numbering head provided with locking means of the character above referred to, wherein each locking means may be disengaged from its digit wheel independently of the other locking means, to permit the setting of any particular digit wheel, without releasing an adjoining digit wheel.

A still further object is to provide a numbering head employing a plurality of locking mechanisms which are independently operative in relation to their respective digit wheels, wherein means are provided for simultaneously disengaging all of said locking mechanisms from their respective wheels to facilitate the setting of the numbering head.

A still further obj ect is to provide a numbering 'head embodying therein independently operative locking means for each digit wheel, which-locking means are adapted to be actuated directly from a digit wheel adjoining that upon which it is adapted to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4e, 1915.

Serial No. 785,614.

lock, the actuating mechanism for the digit wheels being such as to permit the rotation of such digit wheels independently of each other as well as through the transfer means or mechanism. `And a still further object is to provide a numbering head of the character above described wherein the entire operating mechanism will be so grouped about the digit wheels as to permit such compactness of structure as to adapt the head to small work or work requiring a close setting of the numbering heads upon the drum of the machine. v

The invention consists primarily in a numbering head embodying therein a plurality of digit wheels, means whereby said wheels are independently and progressively actuated, locking means mounted adjacent to the periphery of each digit wheel of a denomination higher than the units wheel and operative upon the periphery of its digit wheel and coperative means carried by each said locking means and the digit wheel of neXt lower denomination respectively whereby each said digit wheel of higher denomination is released when the transfer mechanism is about to become operative in relation thereto and is locked at all other times, and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1, is an elevation of a numbering head embodying my invention, the units digit wheel being partly broken away. Fig. 2, is a section on the line 2 2, of Fig. l, showing the detailed construction of one side of a digit wheel and the relation of the locking and actuating mechanism thereto. Fig. 3, is a side view of one digit wheel on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. A is a vertical section through a digit wheel other than the units wheel.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings c indicates a U shaped Y A machine, such as is shown in the drawing is adapted to print in an ascending progression, and the following description will have reference more particularly to a machine of this type, it being understood however that the mechanism described may be reversed Ato have the head print in a descending progression as when it is desired to have the numbered article arranged in piles with the lowest number uppermost.

Each of the wheels 0 to 06, is provided with a ratchet as al engaged by a spring pressed pawl, adaptedy to hold its wheel against movement while the types are being inked, or a return movement of the wheel under the actuating mechanism. Each of said wheels is provided with printing types from O to 9, there being a ratchet tooth for each character. Each ratchet is also adapted to be engaged by a pawl forming a part of the main actuating mechanism, in the usual and well known manner, all said pawls excepting that acting on the units wheel being so graduated in height as to be operative only during the transfer interval from a wheel of one denomination to one of a higher denomination.

Each ratchet Z is provided with a recess as (Z1 into which the pawl f is adapted to drop when all wheels of lower denominations have the digit 9 in the printing position thus bringing the pawl j' of the wheel of neXt higher denomination into engagement with its ratchet. ln starting with the units digit wheel set at l, all pawls f excepting that acting on the units wheel will be held by the latter out of engagement with their respective ratchets. lhen the digit 9 of the units wheel is in the printing position, the pawl f acting on that wheel, will drop into the recess Z1 of its ratchet d, and thus permit the pawl of the tens wheel ratchet to drop into engagement therewith, all other pawls f however, being held out of such engagement by reason of their graduated heights.

The pawls are pivotally mounted upon a rocking frame g mounted upon the shaft and allL said pawls are simultaneously actuated. A spring or springs f1 acts to force all said pawls toward the ratchets (Z.

rlhis construction is old and well known in the art, and is described in detail merely because with this type of numbering head, any wheel may be turned independently of the others, the actuating and transfer mechanism being normally disengaged from the digit wheels. Furthermore my improvements are especially adapted to enter inte combination with a head of this type, the locking means being constructed with a view tothe release of all digit wheels simultaneously, or to the release of any one wheel alone.

Each digit wheel c to 05, is provided with a disk k on the side thereof opposite the ratchet CZ, said disk at one point thereof as determined by the digit 9 being in the digit wheels, the face thereof on the samey side as the disk /i is countersunk within the periphery thereof. The disk t is set within this countersunk portion and is of a diameter to leave a channel h2, within the periphery of the digit wheel.

The periphery of each digit wheel between succeeding characters thereon is provided with a sequence of sockets z' adapted to be engaged by a` bolt j carried by a locking lever 7c mounted upon the shaft 761. Each digit wheel excepting the units wheel has associated therewith a locking lever 7c said levers being entirely independent of each other, and adapted to be actuated progressively and a varying number of times, with a given run of the head. By this construction only those wheels movable during the operation of transferring, are released; all other wheels being positively locked against movement at this time. f

The levers 7c are respectively acted upon by a spring 7a2 having a nominal tendency to force the bolt y' into one of its sockets t'.

rI lie lever 7c of a wheel of higher denomination is adapted to be actuated-by, and through the movement of the wheel of next lower denomination, thus insuring a timely release of the digit wheel of higher denomination without disturbing any other locking means.

Carried by each lever f is a laterally reduced projection fm adapted to enter between adjoining digit wheels, said projection carrying a stud n extending into the channel h2 of the wheel of next lower denomination in a position when it is adapted to be engaged by the riser 71,1. The stud n is of a diameter sufficiently small to permit it to have that movement in the channel h2 necessary to accomplish the removal of the bolt j from any of its sockets z'.

rlhe levers le being mounted adjacent to the peripheries of their respective digit wheel, and being movable, independently of each other, any wheel may be released by merely raising that lever 7n operative thereon. In setting a head preparatory to a run, however, it is desirable to release all wheels simultaneously and to permit this to be done, l provide means adapted to simultaneously releasing all of the locking members. In the form of the invention shown such means comprises a heel 0 carried by each lever It, and adapted to be acted upon by an eccentric shaft p common to all such levers.

Each digit wheel, as shown by Figs. 2, 3, andy 4, comprises a disk, the periphery of which has a plurality, of printing characters having bolt sockets there between. On

one side of this disk isa ratchet by means of which the digit wheel is actuated and on the other side thereof is a cam disk adapted to cooperate with the locking mechanism for the adjoining wheel. All wheels excepting the units wheel and the wheel of highest denomination, are alike in construction, the units wheel being positively rotated after each printing operation requiring no locking means, and the wheel of highest denomination requiring no cam disk.

The levers in and their bolts y' in addition to locking their respective digit wheels against movement as described, also act to secure the proper alinement of the characters upon the digit wheels, when in the printing position.

The operation of the herein described numbering head, is substantially as follows: Preparatory to a run if it be desired to set a single digit wheel of a head, it is merely necessary to raise the lever lc carrying the bolt j cooperating with said digit wheel until said wheel is released. Thereupon said wheel ymay be turned to bring the desired digit to the printing position with# out likelihood of turning any other wheel. If, however, it is necessary to turn more than a single wheel, the eccentric shaft p is turned thus acting upon the heels 0 of all such levers, to simultaneously raise them and release all digit wheels. Assuming that the numbering head has been set with the units wheel at l, all of the pawls f excepting that acting on the units wheels would be disengaged from their respective ratchets 0l, and all levers 7c would be lowered with their bolts j seated in a socket of its digit wheel. Hence all wheels excepting the units wheel would be locked against movement. This condition would continue during the actuations of the units wheel until the digit 9 is coming to the printing position, at which time the riser h. will act upon the studn in a manner to raise the lever 7c coperating with the tens wheel, the final disengagement of the bolt j occurring as the units wheel comes to rest with 9 in the printing position. At the saine time the recess d1 of the ratchet d of the units wheel c will come to a position when the pawl f co-acting on said ratchet will drop thereinto bringing the pawl f acting upon the ratchet d of the tens digit wheel into engagement therewith. All levers 7c excepting that acting to lock the tens wheel will remain stationary. Hence the only wheel free to move under these conditions would be the units and the tens wheels, or those wheels which will change during the next actuation of the head.

Upon the next actuation of the units wheel, the tens wheel will be turned one space, the bolt j entering the socket succeeding the one from which it had just been disengaged, and again locking the tens digit wheel. This operation will be repeated once during each complete rotation of the units wheel, all Wheels of a denomination higher than tens remaining locked until the tens wheel is turned with the digit 9 in the printing position whereupon the lever ,7c through which the hundreds wheel is locked is actuated to release this wheel. The thousands wheel and all wheels of higher denomination will, however, remain locked.

It will be observed, however, that while the hundreds wheel is thus released, when the head is set to 90, this wheel cannot be turned by the actuation of the units wheel because the tens wheel, which is between it and the units wheel, is locked. Hence, while a wheel may be released, before it is to be actuated accidental rotation of the wheel is impossible, because there will be at least one wheel between it and the units wheel which will be locked until that actuation of the units wheel, when the wheel first mentioned, is to be actuated by its transfer mechanism.

The several levers 7c are adapted to be separately controlled and actuated, and are actuated a varying number of times the lever cooperating with and adapted to lock the tens wheel being actuated once with each full rotation of the units wheel, and that acting upon the hundred wheel being actuated once with each ten rotations of said units wheel with a corresponding reduction decimally of the number of actuation with each succeeding wheel of higher denomination.

By the construction herein described, I am enabled to provide a numbering head wherein, locking means may be applied to the several digit wheels without materially -increasing the dimensions of the head, and at the same time, this mechanism is readily accessible for purposes of inspection, repairs or in setting a single wheel and furthermore the construction enables me to secure suilicient strength of the locking means to avoid possibility of breakage resulting in interference with the operation of the machine.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction showing in the accompanying drawings, it beingV apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is:-

l. A. numbering head embodying therein a frame a plurality of digit wheels mountedv in said frame, means operative directlyupon each ofy said wheels whereby said wheels units wheel andv operative upon the periphspectively, whereby each: said digity wheel; ofA

liigherf denomination is released when the transferniechanism is aboutto become operf ative in relation thereto andl is locked at all other times.

2; A numbering' head embodying therein a frame a sequence of digit wheels-mounted in said frame, means operative directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels are independently and progressively actuated, a lever mounted in saidframe adjacent denomination higher than the units Wheel, a bolt carried by each said lever, each digit wheel cooperative with a lever having a se-r quence of bolt sockets about its periphery adapted to receive said bolt, and coperating means carried by each said lever and the digit wheel of next lower denomination re 7 spectively, whereby each said digit wheel of higher denomination is released during' one tenth of a rotation of said wheel of next lower denomination and is locked at all other times.

3. A numbering head embodying therein a frame a sequence of digit wheels mounted in said frame, means operative directly upon each of said wheels whereby said wheels are independently and progressively actuated, a lever mounted in said frame adjacent to the periphery of each digit wheel of a denomination higher than the units wheel, a bolt carried by each said lever, each digit wheel cooperating with a lever, having a sequence'of bolt' sockets about its periphery adapted to receive said bolt, a cam carried by each digit wheel and a stud carried by each said lever cooperating therewith whereby the lever actingy on each digit wheel is adapted to be actuated oncev during each rotation` of the digit wheel of next lower' denomination, to release the digit wheel of higher denomination and leave it locked at all othery times.

4. A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means whereby said wheels are independently and progressively actuated, a lever mounted adjacent to the periphery of each digit wheel of a denomination higher than the units wheel, a bolt carried by each said lever, each digit wheel, coperating with a lever, having a sequence of bolt sockets about its periphery adapted to receive said'bolt, the side of each digit wheel of lower denomination toward the digit wheel of next higher denomination being countersunk within the periphery thereof, a cam disk of diameter smaller than said digit wheel, seated in said recess, a projection carried by each said lever andex-A tending between adjoining digit wheels and ya stud carried by said plate and projecting to the periphery of each digit wheel of al within: said recessadjacent tothe periphery of saiddisk whereby the lever acting on each digitiV wheel is adapted to be' actuatedy once duringeach rotation of they digit wheel* of nextr lower denomination, to releasey the digitA wheel of higher denomination and have itv locked atall other times.

5.` A numbering head embodying therein a plurality of independently rotatable digit wheels, means whereby said wheels are progressively actuated, a: plurality of independently operative means nominally lockingl said digit wheels against rotation and Y meanswhereby theA movementy of one digit wheeli willrelease thelocking means of an adjoining? digitl wheel, said locking means being capable of manual actuation whereby any'y digitwheel may be manually set while the adjoining wheels remain locked.

61A numbering head embodying therein a plurality of independently rotatable digit wheels,` means whereby said wheels are progressively actuated, a plurality of independently. operative means normally locking said digit wheels against rotation, means whereby' the movement of one digit wheel will release the locking means of an adjoin ing digit wheel, said locking means being capable of manual actuation whereby any digit wheel may be manually set while the remaining wheels remain locked, and means whereby all said locking means may be simultaneously. actuated to release all said di Iit wheels.

A numbering head embodying therein a sequence of digit wheels, means whereby said wheels are independently and progressively actuated, a lever mounted adjacent to the periphery of each digit wheel of a denomination higher than the units wheel, a bolt carried by each said lever, each digit wheel cooperating with a lever, having a sequence of bolt sockets about its periphery adapted to receive said bolt, a cam carried by each digit wheel, a stud carried by each said lever coperating therewith whereby the lever acting on each digit wheel is adapted to be actuated once'during each rotation of the digit wheel of next lower denomination, to release the digit wheel of higher denomination and leave it locked at all other times, each said lever being providedwith a heel, and an eccentric sha-ft adapted to engage all said heels whereby said levers may be manually operated to release said digit wheels.

8.' A' numbering head embodying therein a plurality of independent digit wheels, means whereby said wheels are progressively actuated, independently operative locking means `normally holding each of said wheelsl excepting the units wheel against rotation, means operative by each of the wheels in thier sequence of operation whereby said locking means for a wheel of higher denomination will he rendered inoperative ln witness whereof I have hereunto affixed 1J by the wheel of neXt lower denomination as my signature this 18th day of August, 1918. each wheel o higher denomination is to be actuated in its order, a main actuating mech- AMOS H. SMITH. anism whereby said digit wheels are progressively actuated, and manually operative, Witnesses:

means whereby said locking means collec- EUGENE WENING, l tively may be actuated to render them in- CLARICE FRANGK.

operative with relation to their digit wheels.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

